Taking Care of You
by LukeNLorelaifanatic
Summary: Takes place in season 4, a week before Christmas. Lorelai is sick and Luke comes to her aid. Lorelai is not dating Jason and Luke is already divorced.
1. Luke to the Rescue

"Come on mom! Pick up the phone!" Rory said to herself.

She had been trying to get ahold of her mom since Friday and today was Sunday. At first she -assumed- that her mom was busy with arrangements on the Dragonfly. Now she was getting worried. What was up?

"Hi. You reached Lorelai Gilmore. I'm not here right now. Please leave a message after the beep."

_Beeeep. _

"Mom? Hey. It's me. I've been trying to get ahold of you for two days. Why aren't you answering? I'm getting worried. Well, I'm on my way to your house. Call me if you get this message. Bye."

Rory hung up the phone. Thirty minutes later she pulled into her moms driveway. She got out of the car and went through the front door.

"Mom! Where are you?" Rory called throughout the house.

After she got no answer she headed upstairs to her moms room. She saw her mom laying in her bed surrounded by tissue.

"Mom? Are you ok?"

"Rory?" Lorelai said in a whisper.

Rory walked over to her mom and put her hand on her forehead.

"Oh my God mom! You're burning up!"

"I think I have the flu." Lorelai said and then started coughing uncontrollably.

"I'm gonna call Sookie. You need to be taken care of and I have no clue what to do." Rory pulled out her cell and dialed Sookie's number. There was no answer. She tried the house. Still no answer. 

_What should I do? I have to be back at school. I have my midterms this week._

Then an idea popped into her head. She dialed Luke's.

"Luke's. How may I help you?" Luke said into the phone.

"Luke! Oh, thank God!" 

"Rory? What's wrong?" Luke asked worried.

"It's mom. She's really sick. I think she has the flu. She's lying in bed and seems to be in a haze. I tried calling Sookie, but she's not home." Rory said in a rush.

"I'll be right over." Luke said and hung up.

"Ceaser, I have to go. Can you close up for me?" Luke asked.

"No problem boss." 

Luke got in his truck and drove to Lorelai's. He walked up to the door and knocked.

"Luke! You're here! Mom's upstairs." Rory said as she shut the door against the fierce winter winds.

Luke walked into Lorelai's room and went over to her.

"Lorelai? Can you here me?" Luke asked. 

Lorelai thought she heard a voice far off. She couldn't really tell. She felt horrible. She was running a really high fever and had been throwing up all day. At the thought of that she started to feel nauseous.

Luke noticed a pale-ish green tinge in Lorelai's face. He also noticed she was clutching her stomache with one hand and covering her mouth with the other.

_I need to get up! I need to get to the bathroom quick._ Lorelai thought. She tried to get up, but had difficulty. Luke reached for her hand and led her to the bathroom where he held her hair back as she threw up in the toilet.

"Is there anything I can do?" Rory asked from the doorway.

"Yeah, actually. Rory can you go to Doose's and pick me up some Pepto Bismol and some chicken noodle soup?" Luke asked.

"Yeah. Sure. I'll be right back." Rory said and with that she left.

"Luke?" Lorelai asked after Rory had left.

"Yeah. It's me. Rory called and asked me to come over." Luke told her as he guided her back to her bed. She could barely walk.

_I hate seeing her like this. I would do anything to take this pain away. _Luke thought.

"How long have you been like this?" he asked concerned.

"Since Friday. I think. What day is it?" she asked.

_She's out of it! My God. She must be really bad._

"It's Sunday." Luke answered her . 

"It is?" she asked.

"Shhh. Lie down and don't speak. You need to rest." he told her and she obeyed. 

_This is really sweet of him to do this_. Lorelai thought.

Just then Rory entered the room, clustching a brown bag in her hand.

"Here." she said handing the bag to Luke.

"Thanks. You can go now. I'll take care of her from here."

"Are you sure? I mean I can stay and help if you want me too. I don't have to be back at school until nine tomorrow."

"No. That's ok. I know you have your midterms this week. You should study."

"No. I think I should stay. Really, I can help you." Rory insisted.

"It's ok, Rory. I know how important studying is to you."

"Mom's more important than that, though."

"I know. But you mother's goal for you is to graduate and start your career. Really, Rory."

Rory hesitated. Her midterms _were_ improtant, but she wanted to stay with her mother.

"But-" she started to argue.

"No buts." Luke said. He looked her seriously in the eyes and told her "I'll take good care of her. Trust me."

"Ok, but call me if something happens. Or if she needs me. Or-" she rambled.

"I will. I promise." Luke told her.

"Ok." she gave in.

Rory grabbed her purse and left.

"Ok, we need to get you downstairs so I can watch you while I make your soup." Luke told Lorelai.

"I'm ok, Luke. I'll be fine. You should get back to the-" Lorelai got up again, with the help of Luke, and threw up. When she was done, she crawled back into her bed.

"No, come on. Ceaser's closing up for me anyway." Luke lifted her up out of her bed. Lorleai put her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. Luke carried her downstairs and placed her on the couch.

"Ok. I'm gonna be making you some soup in the kitchen. Call me if you need me."

"Ok. Luke?" Lorelai called.

"Yeah?" Luke asked

"Thank you." Lorelai said.

"Your welcome." Luke said and covered her up with a blanket. He waited until she had closed her eyes and he was sure she was asleep before going into the kitchen.


	2. This is Awkward!

"Lorelai." Luke whispered in her ear. "Lorelai, wake up. I made you some soup."

Luke gently stroked her curly hair without thinking.

_Why did I just do that? _He thought. _Wow. It's so soft. Stop it! You're doing it again! She's just your friend. Nothing more._

Lorelai felt a hand stroking her hair and the calling of her name. She began to stir.

_Hmmmm... That feels good._ Lorelai thought as the hand stroked her hair. _Wait. Luke's here. Luke's storking my hair! I've never seen, or rather felt, this side of him before. Oh, my head! It hurts. Major headache._

Lorelai opened her eyes and looked at Luke. She saw a tray with soup, crackers, and what looked like a glass of ginger ale. She began to sit up, but her whole body ached.

Luke noticed she was having trouble sitting up.

"Hold on." he told her.

He grabbed the pillow on the opposite side of the couch and then helped lift her. He placed the pillow behind her back against the other pillow and propped her up.

"That better?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

She was still very weak and could barely speak above a whisper.

"No problem. I made you some chicken noodle soup. I also brought some crackers and ginger ale to help ease your stomach." he sat the tray down in front of her and handed her a spoon. "And eat the carrots this time."

Normally she would have argued. She despised vegetables. But her head hurt to much and she was too tired to argue. She simply nodded her head and began to eat.

Her hand was shaky and it was hard to eat without spilling soup everywhere. She got fed up and put the spoon down. Instead she picked up some crackers and ate those. When she was done, she reached for the glass of ginger ale. She picked it up, but her shaking hands wouldn't allow her to hold it. She dropped the glass and the light, amber-like colored liquid spilt all over her.

"Ugh! I can't do anything!" she said, frustrated.

"Here." Luke said, handing her a rag. She tried to dry her self, but it was all over her.

"Would you like me to get you another set of pajamas?" he asked. She nodded.

"Where do you keep them?" he asked.

"In my bottom dresser drawer." she told him, her voice raspy. Her throat was burning.

Luke got up and headed upstairs. He walked over to the dresser and opened the bottom drawer. She had various assortments of pajamas. He grabbed the first pair he saw. They were blue Nick and Nora pj's with little snowmen with black top hats, pipes, and red scarves. He walked out of the room and back downstairs, pj's in hand.

"These ok?" he asked.

"Yeah. Those are actually my favorite Christmas pj's." she smiled.

He handed them to her and she got up, with difficulty. Her body was still shaking uncontrollably. She took one step and fell. Luke caught her just in time.

"Uh, I don't think your body wants you to walk just yet." he said, sitting her back on the couch.

She was angry that she couldn't do anything herself, but she liked having Luke help her. Constantly touching her.

_No! Don't think like that! You do NOT have feelings for Luke._ She yelled at herself mentally.

"Umm, I can just put them on here." she said blushing.

"Oh, ok. I'll just turn around." Luke did as he said. He was embarrassed, but he didn't know why. He wasn't the one changing in front of her.

Lorelai tried to pull her t-shirt off, put her hands were numb. She had absolutely no feeling in them what so ever. The last time she ever felt like this was when she was seven and had this exact same junk.

"Aghh! Damn flu!" she whisper-yelled.

"Are you ok?" Luke asked, still facing the opposite wall.

"No! My hands are completely numb, and I can't lift my shirt!" she felt a little embarrassed saying this. "I need to change! These pajamas are all sticky."

"Um, I could, uh, help you." Luke offered, now very embarrassed. "I won't look!" he assured her.

_Woah! Did he just say what I think he said?_

"Uh, ok. Yeah, sure. But, uh, Luke? In order for you to, um, help me, you'll, um, have to look." Lorelai could feel the heat rising in her cheeks.

_He's just my friend. Nothing more. So what if he see's me? It's not like I'll be completely naked or anything. Like I said, he's just my friend. It's not like I have feelings for him. Right?_ she thought inside her head.

"Well, I'll just uh, try not to." he siad uncomfortably.

_That didn't sound too right. In the words of Lorelai: Dirty! _he thought.

He turned around, not really knowing what to do next. He reached out and pulled her shirt up a little. He was extremely nervous.

Lorelai's heart was pounding inside her chest. Surely he could hear it. I bet all of Connecticut could hear it!

Luke pulled the shirt over her head and picked up the other top. He couldn't help but glance at her. She was wearing a black lace bra and her skin looked so smooth. She had a cute, little flat stomache. He wanted so desperately to touch her.

_No you don't! Just a friend Luke! A friend who happens to be the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. No! I mean yes. She's pretty. Gorgeous, actually, but still only a friend!_

_I can't believe this is happening. Never in a million years had I thought the day would come when Luke Danes would be undressing me. But it's nothing dirty. He's only helping. But I wish he weren't onky helping me. No! No, no, no,no, no! Stop it Lorelai! _

_This is awkward! _they both thought. But inside, they were both deeply enjoying this.

Luke slipped her arms through the top. The softness of her skin and undressing/dressing her was pure ecstacy! He begun buttoning the top, accidentally brushing his hand over her stomach as he buttoned the last few buttons .

Lorelai felt his hand brush against her stomache and couldn't help her body from shuddering and breathing in sharply. The contact of his skin on her was exhilarating and intoxicating.

Luke felt her shudder and heard her sharp intake of breath. If only it were becuase she had feelings for him. If she'd had feelings for him, he'd love to know he could make her do that by just a simple, innocent touch. Who was he kidding. He had feelings for her. He had all along.

For eight years he'd loved her. He never thought she'd feel the same, so he would convince himself that what he felt was nothing. But he couldn't deny it anymore.

Once he was done with the top, he pulled at the leg of her bottoms. Once he had taken them off, he caught a glimps of her as he turned to get the other pair of bottoms. She was wearing black, lacy underwear, identical to her bra. Her legs were smooth and gorgeous. He begun to slip her snowman bottoms on.

Lorelai's stomache was full of butterflies. And she knew it wasn't because of a queasy stomache.

_That has never happened! I've been touched by other guys before. Never once have I reacted like that. So why did I react liek that with Luke? _

She knew exactly why. But she didn't want to acknowledge it, because then there was no denying it. It was killing every moment she had to keep it a secret. No one knew. Not even Rory.

_But the feeling was arousing. No, stop thinking like that. It's wrong. But it's true. I can't deny this any longer. But I can't handle this. There's no way he feels-_

"There you go." Luke said. Breaking her train of thoughts.

"Thanks." she whispered and turned her head.

"So, um, I had Rory buy you some Pepto Bismol. So, I'm going to go get that." Luke walked to the kitchen and grabbed a spoon and a the pink bottle. He walked back over to Lorelai and poured some into the spoon.

"Here." he said. She opened her mouth and he put the spoon in her mouth. She felt the nasty taste of the pink liquid ooze down her throat.

"Yuck! I hate that stuff!" she said, making a face.

Luke laughed.

Outside, night was falling fast. Lorelai looked out the window and saw that it was snowing. She smiled and then lay back down against the pillows and pulled the blankets over her.

"You don't have to stay Luke." she told him.

"Yes I do. You can't even walk. You can barely sit up. I've taken the whole week off, anyway. Ceaser and Lane can handle the Diner." he said. He was ready to put up a fight. He refused to leave her. She was really sick.

Lorelai smiled at him. She greatly appreciated this gesture.

"Ok. You can sleep in Rory's room if you want."

"No. It's ok. I can sleep in the recliner."

"Ok. There's some blankets in the closet."

Luke got up, went over to the closet, and pulled out some blankets. He made a comfortable little bed in the recliner and lay in it.

"Are you ok? Do you need me to get you anything?" he looked at her, clearly concerned. She was pale, and her voice was quiet and raspy when she talked.

"Yeah, I'm good."

Silence.

"Oh! Hold on. You have one more thing to take." Luke blurted, getting up and walking into the kitchen, and walking back into the living room with two pills and a glass of water in his hand.

"Noooo! Please, Luke! I don't want to take anymore medicine." she whined.

Luke looked at her seriously and asked "Lorelai, do want to stay sick forever?"

_I hate being sick, but if it means getting all this attention from Luke and being able to see this sweeter, less grumpy side of him, then I want to be sick more often. He's never been so concerned about me before. I like this._

But instead of speaking her thoughts aloud, she simply said "No."

"Ok, then. Here you go."

She put one pill into her mouth and Luke pressed the glass of water to her lips and she drank. They repeated this once more and then Luke sat the glass down on the table, and lay back down in the recliner.

"Goodnight Luke." Lorelai whispered as she closed her eyes and drifted into her dreams.

Luke smiled at her.

"Goodnight Lorelai." he whispered back.

He wasn't tired. So instead of going to sleep, he watched Lorelai sleep for a while. He watched as her chest moved up and down to the rhythm of her breathing.

_She looks so peaceful when she sleeps. God I love this woman! If only she felt the same way. She's smiling. I wonder what she's dreaming. Wish it were about me._

Luke laughed at that last thought. Little did he know, she was dreaming about him.


	3. I Love You

_"You know what, you're doing it again." Luke said angrily._

_"Doing what again?" she asked confused. _

_"You're passing judgment on my relationship with Nicole." he remarked defensively._

_"I'm not passing judgment." _

_"You passed judgment on our marriage, you passed judgment on our divorce and now you're passing judgment on our living together." _

_"I'm not passing judgment on you living together. You're passing judgment on you living together… by not living together."_

_God, when will he understand! she thought _

_"You know, I was a little tipsy on that cruise ship, but I don't remember anyone pronouncing us husband and wife and Lorelai."_

_She just doesn't get it does she? She'll never give up. he thought _

_"Well, they may as well have, because I spend as much time with Nicole as you do." _

_"And the judgment's back!" _

_He was starting to get even angrier. _

_"I could move in with you guys. You wouldn't know." _

_"You know, none of this is any of your business." _

_"It's absolutely my business." she stated matter-of-factly. _

_"How?" he demanded._

_"Because! I wasted a week of my life adjusting to the idea that you had moved only to find out that you haven't moved." _

_Now she was getting angry._

_"How much adjusting did you have to do? Nothing's changed! I still see you everyday, I still cook your food, I still serve your coffee. What do you care?" _

_"I care." _

_He was confused._

_"Why?" he asked restlessly._

_"Because I don't want you to move." _

_"Why? Why don't you want me to move?" he asked restlessly._

Lorelai was asleep. She was dreaming of the night she and Luke broke the church bells.

"Luke, please." Lorelai talked in her sleep.

Luke woke at the sound of his name. He looked over at Lorelai.

"Yeah?" he asked.

_Wait. She's still asleep. So why did she call my name? She isn't dreaming _

_about me is she? I'll just see if she says anything else. _Luke thought

_"No Lorelai. I want to know." he demanded in her dream._

Lorelai breathed deeply.

"I love you." she whispered.

Luke sat there in shock.

_Did she just...? No, she couldn't have. I'm hearing things._

"Wh-what?"

_"Wh-what?" dream Luke stuttered._

"I love you."

_Oh my God. She did say that. Wow. Oh my God. _he thought.

His eyes were wide, and his mouth was open.

_I can't believe this. She loves me. She loves me! But will she ever tell me? What if it's a different Luke. Yeah, right. I know everyone she does. Maybe not personally, but I I know of them. This isn't happening. I must be dreaming._

Luke pinched himself.

"Ow!"

_Ok. I'm not dreaming.So, what should I do about this? I'll just watch her closely tomorrow. See if she acts differently than usual. If she shows any signs of having feelings for me._

It took a while, but eventually he fell asleep.

Luke was once again woken. But this time it was because Lorelai was having a cough attack. He turned to look at her and saw that she was clammy and was red with fever. He walked over to her and felt her forehead.

_She's burning up! I need to get a wet cloth to put on her forehead. Hmm...I wonder where she keeps them? Probably in the bathroom._

He walked into the bathroom and found what he was looking for. He turned the faucet on cold and ran the cloth under the running water. He folded it up and walked back to the living room. He kneeled next to Lorelai and placed the cloth carefully on top of her head.

Lorelai jumped at the contact of something wet and cold on her skin. She opened her eyes and looked at Luke.

"Sorry to wake you. You started to cough and then I felt your forehead and your were burning up, so I got a wet cloth to put on your forehead." he explained.

"It's-_cough_-ok,"she whispered. "What time is it?"

Luke looked at his watch.

"Five."

"Ughhh! To early!" she complained.

Luke laughed and suddenly remembered his earlier wake-up call and what it brought. He went silent and turned his head.

_What's up with him? _she thought.

She looked at him curiously, then asked, "Are you ok?"

"Me? Oh, yeah, I'm fine."

More silence.

"I'm going to go and get you some cough medicine. You were coughing pretty bad earlier."

He got up and walked into the kitchen. He looked in the cabinet he had put the Pepto Bismol in and found some cough medicine. Knowing how Lorelai was at throwing out things, he checked the experation date.

"You guys are crazy!" he shouted from the kitchen.

"What?" she asked.

"This cough medicine expired in 1999!" he exclaimed. "I'm going to get some more. I'll be back in a minute."

He walked back into the living room and grabbed his coat.

"Who's the crazy one now?" she asked

"Huh?" he asked back, pulling his coat on.

"You're not serious are you? Luke, it's 5:10 in the morning"

"You need cough medicine. I'm not going to have you coughing all day just so you can lose your voice completely." he told her.

"Luke, you don't have to do this. I'll survive."

"It's ok. Besides, I can pick up some things for you to eat. Any recommendations?"

"Well, in that case... ice cream!"

Luke laughed at her.

"Ok. But only because it will help your throat. I'll be back."

"Ok. Bye."

He walked out the door and she heard his car pull out of the drive way.

_No one's ever gone out at 5:10 in the morning to get me medicine before. He's so good to me._

Lorelai laid back down and was lost in her thoughts.

_I was dreaming about something earlier. What was it? Ugh. I hate when I can't remember my dreams._

She thought hard and then remembered.

_It was about Luke! It was the night we broke the bells. He asked me why I cared I told him..._

Lorelai's face was that of shock.

_Oh my God. I told him I loved him. Woah. Never dreamt that before. It's a good thing Luke can't read my mind. I can't even imagine the look on his face if he knew that I had said that to him in his dream._

_But would it be so bad to tell him that. But do I really love him? I haven't even revealed my feelings. I can't just tell someone I love them if I haven't even dated them. But I think it might be true. _

_Does Luke have feelings for me? I mean, the whole town has been telling me that. But I always thought they had lost their minds. I highly doubt it's true. Although I wish it were._

Her thoughts were interrupted by the return of Luke. She looked over at him and saw many bags in hand.

"I thought you just went to get medicine and ice cream?"

"Well, I thought I'd make some homemade chicken soup today. So I had to get some extra stuff," he told her. "I didn't know what flavor you liked, but I know you like chocolate so I got triple fudge brownie."

"Yum! That sounds so good!"

"What would you like for breakfast?" he asked.

"Ice cream!"

"Lorelai, you can't have ice cream for breakfast."

"Who says?"

He looked at her for a moment, and then gave in.

"Ok. Ice cream it is."

He went into the kitchen and put the groceries away. After that was done, he got out a bowl and scooped some ice cream into it. He also grabbed a bagel he had bought and put some spread on it.

"Here you go." he handed her the bowl and a spoon.

"What have you got?"

"A bagel."

"Oh. I see bagel boy." she said, trying to push his button.

"Lorelai, I'll dump that ice cream in the trash if you call me that again." he threatened.

"No! Please. I'm sorry!" she begged.

Luke laughed at her and told her, "Eat your ice cream you junkie."

Lorelai smiled and started to eat. She picked up the remote and turned the tv on. They sat in silence as they watched some random show they had never seen.


	4. Luke's mom and Christmas talk

Luke got up and turned the tv off. Lorelai had fallen back asleep and he decided to get started on the soup. He took one last glance at Lorelai to make sure she was ok. She still showed sign of a fever, but she looked so peaceful and relaxed. She was beautiful. There were many words to describe Lorelai, but that one word was the on that stood out the most.

Luke finally looked away and walked into the kitchen. He searched and searched until her finally found the needed materials to make the soup. He boiled the chicken first and turned the radio on softly and listened to Christmas music as he cooked. I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas by Bing Cosby was playing. Luke thought back to when he was a little boy and his mom would play this song on Christmas eve. He missed her terribly, as well as his father, but this memory made him smile.

_Oh my Lord, that smell smells delicious!_ Lorelai woke to that thought.

A delicious smell was wafting into the room from the kitchen. She despereately wanted to get up and find out what the scrumptious smell was coming from. She grabbed ahold of the edge of the table and tried to stand. She failed adn instead landed with a thud on the floor. Luke heard it and came into the living room.

"Lorelai! Are you ok?"

"Ow! No! This sucks." she said angrily.

"Here, let me help you." he went over to her and helped her get up and sat her back down on the couch. "What happened?"

"I was trying to get and walk to the kitchen, but I stll can't walk!" she tried to yell, but her voice was raspy.

"Oh, here, I can carry you in there." he said.

With that, he lifted her up and she put her arms around his neck. For a moment, they just stared into each others eyes.

_God, he has beautiful eyes! _

_God. she has beautiful eyes!_

They both realized what they were doing and promptly looked away. Luke carried her into the kitchen and sat her down in a chair. He wrapped her in a blanket and reumed cooking.

"What is that heavenly smell?" she asked.

"It's my moms old recipe for chicken soup." he told her.

"It smells delicious!" she complemented.

Luke smiled at her and said, "Thanks. It'll be done soon."

They sat in silence as Silent Night was playing softly in the background. Lorelai was humming along with it. She loved this song. Luke transfixed by her voice. Even though she was sick, it sounded lovely. Right as the song ended the timer on the stove went off.

"It's ready. Would you like crackers with it?" he asked.

"Yes, please." shes said softly, for her throat was burning with pain.

Luke got out two bowls and filled them up. He placed them at the table along with the crackers and two spoons. Lorelai picked up a spoon and spooned out some soup. She blew on it and then stuck it in her mouth and swallowed.

"Oh my God, Luke! I have never tasted anything as good as this!"

Luke blushed and laughed.

"I don't think Sookie would like to hear that."

"Sookie's a great cook, but this is pretty damn good soup."

"Thanks."

"Your welcome. So did you get your cooking skills from your mom?" she asked, trying to start conversation.

"Yeah. My dad wasn't much of a cook. But my mom, she made the most amazing meals." he said, remembering.

"What happened to her? If you don't mind my asking."

"It's ok. She, uh, died from cancer." he said quietly.

"Oh, Luke, I'm so sorry."

He looked so sad. It pained her to see him this way.

"Don't worry about it. It was a long time ago. I was only ten."

Lorelai was at a loss for words. She couldn't imagine what it felt liek to lose someone you love. Nobody she ever really knew had died before. She wanted to lighten the mood so she decided to change the subject.

"So waht are you doing for Christmas?"

"Same as always. Get up, call my sister to wish her a Merry Christmas, then open the diner later that evening and serve you and Rory your usual Christmas Diner and liquid death."

"You should spend it with me and Rory." she said simply.

"Really?"

"Yeah. On Christmas eve she comes over and we watch It's a Wonderful Life and then listen to Christmas music and drink hot chocolate. The we wake up the next day and exchange gifts. We have a really good time." she told him.

"Um, ok, I guess. I'm looking forward to it." he said and smile.

"Cool, it's going to be a lot of fun."

"Speaking of Christmas, why haven't you put your tree up yet?" he asked.

"Ugh. Well, I've been so busy with the Inn and then I got sick and I haven't had much time to do it."

"I could get you one tonight if you'd like."

"Really? That would be great, Luke! Thanks!"

"Don't mention it."

They both smiled at each other and continued to eat, enjoying the conversation.

Hey guys. I would like to thank my beta Jamie for helping me make this story what it is. Thank you Jamie! And there's only a few more chapters left. I'm not going to post the final Chapter until Christmas Eve because I want to end it before Christmas since it is a Christmas story. Thank you so very much for the reviews! They are what make me write the chapters sooner! And for those who haven't read my other fic, Always Be My Baby, check it out! I love you guys! Bye!


	5. Decorating the Christmas Tree

Later that night, Luke and Lorelai were on the couch.

"Hey, would you like me to go get that Christmas tree now?" Luke asked.

"Oh yea! Here, grab my purse off the mantle." she told him.

He did so and handed it to Lorelai.

"Here, take this." she handed him forty dollars and then sat the purse aside.

"Oh, I can pay for it." he said.

"No, you've done so much for me. Take it. Go on, get out of here."

"Gee, tired of me already?" he replied sarcastically.

Lorelai laughed as he walked out of the door.

Luke returned thirty minutes later, hauling in the most perfect Christmas tree Lorelai had ever seen.

"Wow. That is the best tree I have ever seen!" she remarked as he set it up. The room was instantly filled with the aroma of pine. Lorelai loved that smell, but she could barely smell it do to the fact that her nose was stuffy,

"It was the best one they had. Ok, where are the Christmas decorations?" he asked.

"In the hall closet." she told him.

Luke opened the closet up and was shocked.

"Haven't you guys ever heard of cleaning?" he asked. "What am I talking about? I'm asking this to the women who had six year old medicine in her cabenit.

Lorelai laughed. "What can we say? We're women of questionable morals."

Luke shook his head and smiled. They might be the most unorganized, sugar addicted, coffee junkies, but he would always love these two women. Rory was like his daughter. And Lorelai...

_Lorelai's a women I'll never quite understand, but will always and forever be in love with._ he thought.

I knew it was about time to face up to the fact that he was indeed in love with her. He wished with all of his being that they could be together. That they could be together forever. But, how could he make that happen? Like he said, Lorelai was a women he'll never quite understand. When it comes to making up her mind on what she wants, she tends to get stuck. She's just not sure what she wants. Luke of all people knew that. After all the times she had run to him, telling him she didn't know what she should do. She always had trouble making up her mind.

But still, what if she would want this? It's so hard. Life is like a present. You won't know what you get until you open it. And the gift could be something you love, or something you hate. This is just like a present. She could love this...or she could hate it. He'll never know untill he tried.

But did he have the guts to? He'd asked other women out without much of a problem, but she was different. She wasn't like the other women. She was special, in a good way. He never felt so protective, caring, and compassion for another women like he felt with Lorelai.

"Did you find them?" Lorelai shouted in a raspy voice from the living room.

Luke looked quickly around. He'd been so lost in thought, he forgot what he was doing. He found three boxes marked "Christmas" on them and grabbed them.

"Yeah." he replied and carried the boxes into the living room and opened them up.

There were a ton of ornaments. Both bought and handmade. One particular ornament caught Luke's eye. It was a piece of laminated paper. It looked as if it had been cut out of a cup or something. On the back it said "December 15, 1995". Luke picked it up and turned it over, he was caught off guard. It said Luke's and had the diner's symbol. It was cut out of a to-go coffee cup.

"What's this?" he asked.

"What?" Lorelai asked and then saw what he was holding. "Oh, that? That's from the to-go coffee cup you gave me on the first day we met. I thought your coffee was the best thing I've ever had and thought it simply had to be worshiped in this house. So I cut it out of the cup, wrote the dat, and laminated it to hang on the Christmas tree."

"You liked my coffee so much you made an ornament out of the to-go cup? Wow. I don't think anyone's done something as crazy as that." he laughed and smiled at her.

"Your coffee is the best damn coffee in the state! No, the country! I take that back, the world! I had to make a memeory of the first time I fell in love with a beverage."

Luke laughed at her outrageous remark.

"You fell in love with a beverage?"

"Shut up. And...well, I had a feeling about you and the diner." she said, looking down.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't really know. I just knew that the diner would be a place I could always come. A place I could count on. I felt that I could, um, always count on...you." she told him quietly and blushed. "And I have, you know, been able to count on you."

Luke looked down and blushed too. "Well, I'm always here for you."

"Thanks."

Luke looked down at the rest of the boxes. They were having another awkward moment and he need something to do. He got out the lights and begun to put them on the tree first. Lorelai watched as he plugged the lights in and they glowd red, green, blue, and orange. He started to decorate the tree next.

"I wanna help." she said. "Decorating the tree is my favorite part."

"Can you stand?" he asked her.

Lorelai placed her hand on the armrest and pushed off slowly. She was a little unstable at first, but eventually was able to balance herself. Now all she had to do was try and walk. She put her right foot in front of her, and then her left. She felt like a baby just learning to walk. She put her right foot in front again and then stumbled.

Luke rushed over and caught her in his arms. They stayed like that for a minute or two, before both came to their senses and he helped right her. He grabbed ahold of her hand and helped guide her to the decorations by the tree. Once there she looked at him and smiled.

"I think I'm getting better." she said.

"I think you are too." he replied.

Luke went into the kitchen and brought in a chair in case she needed to sit down. Then they begun the decorating process.

"Awww, look!" Lorleai squealed and held up another laminated ornament. It was picture of a scribbled drawing of an angel. On the back it said "Christmas-1990", and on the bottom were big, bubbly letters which spelled out "Rory".

"How old was she? Five?" he asked, smiling at the ornament now in his hand.

"Yeah. She made that at pre-school. She was such an ambitious kid. Her teacher told me she had been having a hard time trying to draw the angel. All the other kids were just simply scribbling, but she wanted to draw an angel. She said she kept trying and trying until she finally thought she had made it perfect." Lorelai told him, tears in her eyes. "Sometimes I still wish she was just a little girl. snuggling up next to me during a midnight storm."

"She was such a good kid. I was never a kid kind of person but the moment I met her I knew she was different. She was very bright and always worked hard for something she wanted. Like that time she went around the whole town selling cookies so she could raise money to help save a sick cat. Remeber?"

"Yeah. She went door to door all day long. I had to literally carry her home when it got dark. She kept telling me "But mommy, I have to save the kitty!". She only raised $25.75. The operation cost $180. I couldn't bear to tell her that she didn't raise enough money for her to save it, so I told her she'd made just enough and I took the cat up there and payed the rest of bill." Lorelai laughed at the memory.

Luke laughed with her. Then Lorelai heard her phone ringing. Luke walked to the phone and handed it to Lorelai.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Mom! Hey, are you ok?" Rory asked.

"Oh! Hey kiddo. We were just talking about you."

"What? What are you saying about me?"

"Oh, I found an ornament that you made in pre-school and showed Luke and then we started talking about your determination to save that sick cat."

"I was seven!" Rory defended herself.

Lorelai laughed. "I know honey. We were just reliving old memories. You'll understand when you get old and helpless like us."

"Oh, be quiet you. You're young, beautiful, and outgoing. Just ask Luke." she told her mother, hinting.

"Shut up! Changing the subject now. So what's up?"

"Oh, well, I needed to call you and tell you that I'll be over around eight Christmas Eve."

"Ok, cool. Luke's going to hang out with us."

"Ooooo! So there is something going on?"

"No! Bite your tongue! Be careful when you come in. I'm going to have a freshly baked pie ready to smash in your face."

Rory couldn't help but laugh at her mother's urge to shut her up. She knew Luke must be standing near by.

"Don't want you're secret love to hear our conversation?" she teased.

"Hanging up now!"

"Ok, ok. See you in in two days. Love you. Bye!"

"Love you too, babe. Bye!" Lorelai said and hung up.

"What was that about?" Luke asked.

"What?" Lorelai asked back.

"You kept telling her to shut up and all."

"Oh, that. She, uh, was teasing me about all the old, worn out ornaments I still have." she covered up.

"Oh, ok." he said and resumed with decorating.

They both had fun looking at old ornaments made by Rory and remembering old memories. When the tree was fully decorated, Luke pulled out the star and placed it at the very top with difficulty.

"Damn star!" he kept saying until he got it to actually stay put. Lorelai laughed at him the whole time.

"Wow. It looks better than it ever has." she told him.

"It does look good doesn't it." he said as they stood back and admired it.

"Yeah." she said.

They spent the rest of the night watching movies and talking. It was certainly a day to remember.


	6. I Love You x's Two

Two days passed and Lorelai begun to gradually get better. She now only had a minor cough and stuffy nose. Luke wouldn't leave her just incase, though. She was glad for that. She really enjoyed his company. It was getting really lonely without Rory here with ehr. It was nice to have someone to talk to at night. Nice to have someone who didn't mind getting up in the middle of the night to give her medicine and place a wet rag on her head and stay up with her untill she fell asleep.

_He's everything I want and more! _she thought._ I would love more than anything if he wre here to stay for good. What am I thinking? God! If he knew what I was thinking he would flip! I would totally scare him away. But it's true. I wouldn't mind being with Luke for the rest of my life. I wonder if he might even just a little bit think of me as more of a friend. The whole town says he does, even Rory, so maybe...I don't know. But I shouldn't be fantasizing about something I don't have the guts to do. I could never ask him out. It was never an issue with the other guys, but he's...different. In a good way!_

She was sitting in the kitchen, watching Luke make breakfast. It was Christmas Eve and Rory was coming later on. They had spent the past few days wrapping gifts for people in the town and Rory. Luke wasn't much of a wrapper, so she let him put the little gifts in bags and stuff tissue paper in them.

He sat the plates out and served them both. He had made pancakes with yummy cinnamon butter and bacon. Just as they begun to eat, the phone rang. Lorelai answered it. It was Rory.

"What's wrong babe?" she asked concerned.

"It's snowing here like there's no tomorrow! They are starting to block off some of the roads. I don't no if I'll make it tonight if it keeps up like this!" she panicked.

"Hun, calm down. Maybe it'll stop."

"Hmph. They are saying it's going to get worse. It's heading your way. I hate this! This is my first Christmas as a college student and I want to come home! I miss you!"

"I know babe. I do too. Listen, maybe you could come here earlier."

"I still haven't finished packing and they have blocked the road over there!"

"Ok, ok. Well, just stay the night there-"

"Mom, no. I can't be away from you. What about our tradition? What about "It's a Wonderful Life" and hot chocolate?" she cried.

"Honey, the roads are to dangerous right now. I'll have Luke with me tonight. I won't be completely alone. Just stay there tonight and come tomorrow morning. Things should look up by then." she said.

Rory sniffed. "Ok. I'm sooo sorry mom!"

"Babe, it's ok. It's not your fault. I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok."

"Stay warm! I love you!"

"I will. I love you too. Tell Luke I said hi."

"I will. Bye sweets."

"Bye."

Lorelai hung up and sighed. She had been really looking forward to tonight.

"What's wrong?" Luke asked.

"Look's like it's just you and me tonight. Rory's not going to make it. She said it's snowing hard there and that the roads are blocked. It's heading our way."

"Oh. Is she ok?"

"She was really upset, but she'll be fine. She's coming tomorrow if the roads are unblocked. She said for me to tell you hi."

"Oh, ok. I'm sorry she's not going to be here. I know how much you were looking forward to tonight with her."

"I'll be fine. I'm just glad I won't have to spend Christmas Eve alone. Thanks again for everything. Staying with me tonight and all and all the other nights."

"No problem. It was nothing."

"It was something. I really do appreciate it Luke."

"You're welcome. Come one, let's eat."

Lorelai sat back down and they continued their breakfast with slight conversation.

oooooooo

Later that night, Luke made a ham and rolls and mashed poatoes and gravy. They sat down and ate and talked. He had managed to cheer Lorelai up a little since this morning. Now they were sitting by the tree on the floor on a palet next to the fire. Silent Night was playing softly in the background as they sat in silence.

"Do you ever sleep talk?" she asked Luke.

"Uhh, no, why?"

"When Rory was a little girl, she used to sleep talk at night. I have no idea why or where she got it."

"I think I do." _Uh-oh. Did I say that out loud? Now she's going to want to-_

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.

_Busted._

"Oh, um, well...You were talking in your sleep a few nights ago." he told her.

"Really? What did I say?" she asked.

"Well, uh, you said my name. I woke up, thinking you needed something, but you were just sleep talking." he said, hoping she would leave it.

"Oh. Did I, uh, say anything else?"

_I guess she won't leave it._

"Um, well, uh, you said...you said you, uh, loved me." he stated.

"Oh." she looked down and then at him.

Now was her chance. Take it or leave it. She had to do it! She would regret it later if she didn't.

"Luke?" she asked shakily.

"Yeah?" he asked, looking up.

"I love you." she said quietly, with some much caring and passion.

Luke looked at her for a moment.

_Did she just say what I thought she said? Oh my God. She did! _

Lorelai looked into his eyes sheepishly. She looked so angelic with the firelight dancing around her hace, lighting it up. Making the beautiful, crown curls in her hair sparkle. Her blue eyes looked like two crystals shining with the deepest ans sincere love. He could see it in her face. She wasn't lying. She really and truly loved him. One look in her eyes said that.

He pulled her in closely and kissed her softly on the lips. It wasn't a long kiss, but it was gentle and passionate all the same. It was something Lorelai had never experienced. Something inside of her exploded as their lips met. It was a whloe jumble of emotions. Passion, caring, security, happiness. But most of all, love. When they pulled apart. She heard the words they had both longed to hear and say.

"I love you too." he said softly and kissed her once more.

He finally had it. _Her._ All he ever wanted. And she too had everything she had ever wanted. _Him. Just him. _She fell into his arms and cried with joy.

"I've waited so long for this. I can't believe this is happening." she whispered.

"Me too. I've been thinking about this all week. I've wanted this for eight years."

"So have I. Having you here, taking care of me, has been the best thing ever. No guy has ever treated me with such kindness." she said and kissed him.

"I love it. Taking care of you. That's all I ever wanted to do and all I ever want to do." he held her and smiled at her.

"That's all I ever want to do."

They popped in "It's a Wonderful Life" and he held her as they watched it. She fell asleep in his arms and they both lay there. The perfect couple. They both wore smiles on their faces and held each other tight.

oooooooo

Rory walked in the door quietly. She wanted to surprise her mother. She walked into the living room to find that she was the one being surprised. There lay her mom and Luke in each other's arms, smiling.

"Woah," she whispered. "I think Santa finally came to his senses and left them the right Christmas gift this time."

She smiled to herself. It was finally happening! The thing she had dreamed of for so long! She knew they belonged together. It was so obvious. Especially now.

"Surprise!" she shouted.

"What the hell?" Lorelai said as she sat up and looked around. Luke did the same. "Rory! Oh, hi. I didn't think you'd be here so early."

"Hmmmm. I guess not. You two seemed to be pretty wrapped up in one another." she teased and laughed at their uncomfortable expressions.

"Um, yeah, about that..." Lorelai left the sentence hanging, not knowing how to say it.

"No need to explain mom. I know. Finally!" she shouted and jumped up and down.

Luke and Lorelai looked at each other in confusion.

"Oh don't pretend. Everyone knew this was going to happen! Babette and Patty have had a running pool going around town for years about how long it would take you guys to get together."

"What!" Lorelai shouted.

"Are you serious!" Luke shouted too.

"Yup. But forget that. I'm soo happy for you guys!"

Rory bent down and pulled them both into a huge hug.

"We're happy to, kid." she said and smiled at her daughter and her Luke. _Her Luke._

"Good. Don't screw this up you guys! This is big! Great!" she told them and hugged them again.

Luke patted her back and smiled at _his Lorelai._

Later, after Rory had calmed down, they opened gifts.

"Oooo! I love my fuzzy, purple alarm clock! My old one broke!" Lorelai told Rory.

"You're welcome. I love my encyclopedia set! I've wanted it for so long! And I love the book Luke!"

"No problem. Thanks for the flannel shirt. I need a new one."

"You're welcome."

"Here, Lorelai." he said, handing a black box with a red bow on it to her.

"Oh, Luke you didn't have to." she said and opened it. She gasped. "Luke! I love it!"

Inside was a neclace with a small, heart dangling from the chain. It was studded with tiny diamonds around the edges.

"It's beautiful!" she said and she kissed him.

"You're welcome." he said and smiled at her.

"Here. It's not as good as your gift, but anyway." she said and handed him a little wrapped box.

He took it and opened it up. Inside was a very nice watch.

"Thanks Lorelai. I really needed a new one." he said and kissed her.

"I love you." she said.

"I love you too." he replied and they kissed one more time.

Rory was crying softly. She was so happy for them!

"Merry Christmas!" she said and hugged them both tightly.

"Merry Christmas!" they both said.

They all three sat there hugging each other. It was a very, Merry Christmas indeed. Luke took Lorelai in his arm and kissed her again.

oooooooo

Merry Christmas you guys! Thanks for reading my story! I enjoyed writing it. It's funny cause I dreamed of this when I was sick back in October and Lroelai got sick at Christmas. Now I'm sick and it's Christmas! lol. I'm good though. Thanks again for reading! I am so grateful for your support! And thank you sooo much Jamie, my beta! I couldn't have done it without you! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!


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